Gotta love that "persistently dangerous" label. I still wonder how many more schools would have that label statewide if all schools reported everything that happens in their buildings.

Canton Middle no longer exists and Friendship Academy, which replaced Canton Middle has been doing quite well I thought.

@ veteran teacher

Makes perfect sense! My understanding is that the "persistently dangerous" label is based off of suspensions. If you don't suspend students for assaults, drug dealing, fire setting, and other violent/illegal infractions, then on paper, there is no "danger." And no label! Ta -da!
Does no label mean a school is safe? No, it just means people are sweeping things under the rug so they don't lose funding or their jobs. In the meantime, kids and teachers don't feel safe at their schools.

Corey is right. Canton is closed and FAST is doing ever so much better. The principal,Dr. Ian Roberts is a prince! And NO, I do not teach there. The change is unbelievable. The library is amazing and the kids act like gentlemen/women in the library. The teachers are dedicated. I have had a chance to visit this new charter school as a neighbor and educator and I am impressed. How out of date is this information?

I think people need to look at the reasons why the schools are labeled persistently dangerous. Are the students bringing weapons to school? If so Why. In my experience the students are bringing weapons to school because they have to travel through unfamiliar neighborhoods to get to school. So should we just look at the school or should we look at the bigger problem the neihborhoods. The neighborhoods are just not safe. If the students in these schools are fighting and getting suspended again lets look at the neighborhoods because alot of the violence stems from the neighborhoods and the students bring it to school. There is a big gang problem in Baltimore City but it is not being addressed and the schools are getting the blame.

They keep changing and adding names of schools, as if people are that stupid. Institute of Business and Entrepreneurship is really Walbrook High, and I don't care what they call it, it's still a shiitake hole. It's where Lackl's (murdered witness) killer was going to school, and he did it for $100. A 15 year old assasin, and this is America? The term "persistently dangerous" is an understatement.

adminstrator : It's not the hood because the hood is made up of the same kids. That's the lamest excuse. If you took one Baltimore school and plopped in Fairfax, Howard, or Montgomery county, it would still be messed up. Iraq & Afghanistan are war zones, and schools there are safer. Stop making excuses for good for nothing kids, with good for nothing parents. You just can't cover up the smell of @#$t.

Just keep in mind - one of the major criterion used in labeling schools as "persistently dangerous" is the number of suspensions. MANY schools stay off the list by limiting suspensions and opting for other disciplinary consequences such as saturday school (joke), after school detentions (bigger joke) and in-school suspension (really big joke). This is particularly true for repeat offenders and minority, FARMS, or special education students as these are groups of particular interest to the NCLB fans. Bottom line - we still have a long way to go in holding ALL students and parents accountable for in-school behavior that disrupts the learning environment. Remember "All means All" right Dr. H??

oz - you nailed it. I was doing some consulting work in WEB DuBois High right after they changed the name from Northern High. Kids torched a classroom that day - guess they didn't get the memo that a new name for the place would change the culture - DUH!

At least four out of those schools (including Canton) no longer existed as of July 1st.

The DuBois story is more evidence that school turnaround is hard work. It's not just the kids you have to change.

Friendship under Dr. Ian Roberts was horrible. A visit to the library is not enough...your visit can be staged. Dr. Ian Roberts had no control. He terrorized the teachers and recruited, like any lawbreaker, a committed few that would vouch for him. We have all of these panels and all of these experts and you never see a persistent questioning of teachers...Why? We are not mining for the truth! Dr. Roberts, without reason, demanded teachers change grades. That is illegal! There is proof! Dr. Roberts also threatened teachers with unemployment if they disagreed with his tactics. I am not looking for a debate. I worked in the school. We now live in a time wherein our adult society is not concerned about their children. Andres Alonso is faking success. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has documents confirming everything written.